Who say's he "stranded" in Russia? It may have been Snowden's plan all along.
And he didn't have any importance to the world at all, before he fled to Hongkong and Russia. How should "ties to Russia" emerge before? Wouldn't it be more reasonable, if those ties existed, to hide them?
Sorry, I know a lot of people don't like hearing it, but Snowden having been recruited by Russia before his defection is just as plausible as him having pure democratic motives and seeking the help of China and Russia.
There is absolutely zero reliable information on Snowden's motives.
If he were working for Russia, wouldn't it be more plausible to give them the secrets (just "forget" your USB stick in a cafe in Honolulu, which Ms. St. Petersburg sitting next to you will find...), and at the threat of discovery, go underground, and let himself be smuggled into Russia?
Why go to the trouble of trying to contact Greenwald, and Poitras. He tried to get Greenwald to set up mail encryption, it failed, Glenn ignored him for a few months until he managed to reach him through Poitras. A man who's sold state secrets and afraid the Men in Black are about to come would not wait that long.
But anyway, you deal in absolutes "There is absolutely zero reliable information on Snowden's motives.", so you probably know best.
And he didn't have any importance to the world at all, before he fled to Hongkong and Russia. How should "ties to Russia" emerge before? Wouldn't it be more reasonable, if those ties existed, to hide them?
Sorry, I know a lot of people don't like hearing it, but Snowden having been recruited by Russia before his defection is just as plausible as him having pure democratic motives and seeking the help of China and Russia.
There is absolutely zero reliable information on Snowden's motives.